Sunday, May 28, 2006

The Story of Little Bear - Part 1

About three years ago, Suzy, an American living somewhere in the UK wanted more than anything to acquire a chocolate brown pursian. She contacted every breeder in the land looking for one. During the process, she rubbed one of them the wrong way. And that breeder told all the other breeders not to let Suzy have one of their kittens. Not to be discouraged, Suzy created an alias for herself and after a few inquiries successfully acquired one. One that she named Bear.

Bear came to be somewhere in Ireland. He had soft chocolate brown fur and round golden eyes. Suzy brought him home and made him her own. A few months later, Suzy's husband's job brought them back to the states. So Bear moved from the UK to the US, a transition that was easy enough. Only having been in the States a few months, the husband was being sent on to Australia. Not wanting Bear to have to go through such extenuous quarantine procedures Suzy asked her mother-in-law, Judy, to take him for a while. So, off Suzy and her husband went and Bear stayed with Judy.

About two summers ago, Judy came into my life as a customer. She was looking for a very small place to stay until she could join her son in Australia. She hadn't decided yet when or if she was going to go. She really just wanted to visit and expressed to me that she didn't know what she was going to do with Bear, her kitty. I liked Judy and I thought she was a very nice person, so I volunteered to be Bear's keeper in the event she decided to visit. Judy, didn't take me up on that offer.

Later, in February of last year, Judy contacted me and requested that I take Bear for just a few weeks. As she put it, she was in a "bind". That same evening, I met her at an Extended Stay off I-10. When I arrived, Judy was standing outside her door with her bags and management standing beside her. I believe she was being asked to leave. Judy was proud and wouldn't tell me what her situation was, she just needed me to take Bear off her hands for a while. She wouldn't even let me give her a ride.

So, in a sense of desperation, she handed me his carrier, his food and toys, and his medical papers. I wondered as I drove away if Bear was going to be a permanent or temporary part of my life.